The 78th Hunger Games
by KatLover4ever
Summary: Summary: Amelia is a blind fifteen-year-old who has a different way of being able to see. What happens when she's thrown into the 78th Hunger Games? Will she win? Will she find love? Will she survive? (The rebellion failed, and the Games are still going. Rated T only because it's the Hunger Games.)
1. Chapter 1

It has been three years since the rebellion failed. Our Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen, is dead, and the 78th Hunger Game sis coming soon. Tomorrow's reaping day. Every year, I'm afraid I'll be picked. My name's Amelia Fredrick. I'm a blind fifteen-year-old. I live in District 12, the former home of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. After the rebellion failed, the district was rebuilt as a reminder to everyone of it. I thought I was safe, since my first year to be reaped was the third Quarter Quell, and the rebellion followed. These Games shouldn't still be around. But they are, and every year I have nightmares of what could happen to me.

Being blind, I've never had the chance to observe what happens in the Games. The only way how I can see things is through the vibrations in the ground. But since the Games are shown on a screen, I can't see it.

There are only four in my family: my father, James Fredrick, my mother, Anna, and my three-year-old brother, Thomas. I go to a special needs school. I only have one friend there, Melinda Patterson. She's handicapped, though. Her house in District 3 had been burned down some five years ago. A brick had landed on her legs and broken them. I hadn't known her then. My original home was in District 5. That was another thing with District 12 being rebuilt. Families from each district had to move here. My father volunteered, forcing the rest of us to come along.

We were currently eating dinner at our table. It wasn't a big meal. Just a slice of bread and a small serving of rice for each person. Working in the coal mines, my dad doesn't earn nearly as much money as he did in District 5. And since my mom had to take care of Thomas, she never looked for a new job. But since he's now three, she said a few days ago she would try to find a job.

"Anna, dear, are you sure you want to do that?" My father had asked.

"Yes. I'm sure." She replied.

"Who will watch over Thomas?" He asked

"I can!" I blurt out. They turn to me, and I can feel shock and horror coming from them.

"You're blind!" My mom protested.

"And you have school," my dad adds.

I understood the school part. But what did being blind have to do with anything? My mother knows I can see without actually seeing things. Why must it be so hard?

My parents had decided on paying a babysitter instead. I was slightly upset, but I got over it.

"Amelia!" My dad calls, snapping me back into reality. "How was school today?"

"Oh, fine!" I reply. Then I remember something. "Melinda invited me to a sleepover at her place tomorrow. Can I go?" If we both survive the reaping, I add silently.

"Who else will be there?" My mom asks.

"No one else. Just me and Melinda," I inform her.

"Alright. I don't see any problem with that," my dad says. Before anyone else can say anything, the TV automatically powers on. That's always bothered me about this place. Back in 5, we could turn it on when we wanted to, on our own. But the Capitol likes to make themselves clear and heard around all of Panem, so all TVs in District 12 are automatically turned on when there's an announcement.

"Greetings, all of Panem!" President Snow says. I turn in the direction of the sound, even though I can't see him. "The 78th Hunger Games is just around the corner. As many of you know, it's been three years since the second rebellion, led by your Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen, failed. Since then, myself and m advisors have been working out a new plan for these Hunger Games. Finally, we have figured out a new addition: the two tributes from each district will be loved ones, whether it be friends or family." I raise my eyebrows in confusion. Thomas is too young to be part of the Games, and my parents are too old. So how will this new addition work? As if in answer, President Snow continues: "Some of you may not have siblings that are old enough, or friends of a different gender. We figured that out by saying that we will look into your history of who you have talked to at school or in the square, or whatever, and find a solution for you." What?! That makes no sense! And besides, there's no boy that I've ever talked to. Except...

I remember Troy Waterfern. He's a sixteen-year-old boy who lived here many years ago, but moved to District 1. When this district was rebuilt, his family decided to return. I met him while walking back from school one day. He followed me back home, which was a ten-minute walk. In that time, we talked about ourselves: our personal life and interests. I left out the fact that I was blind, in case he would leave the moment I told him, but I accidentally tripped over a small coal pile, and he was confused as to why I didn't see it, so I told him. He didn't disregard me like I though, and thankfully he didn't hold my hand like I was a toddler. I haven't talked to him since, but he's the only one that I've talked to.

I almost cry at the realization that if I get reaped tomorrow, he'll be thrown into it with me, and I may have to kill him.

**A/N: So, this is the first chapter. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think of the new addition to the rules, or the chapter overall, or both. :) And, in case you didn't get it or don't know, I took the idea for the special way that Amelia can see from Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's called seismic sense... Please Review! Reviews are what inspire me to write. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

The TV has been turned off now. I can feel my parent slooking at me.

"Melinda's your only friend, right, Amelia?" Mom asks.

"Yes," I reply, picking up my fork again and eating. It wasn't a lie. I had only talked to Troy once, and I have'nt got close to him or anything. My parents, realizing I must have told the truth follow suit, and we finish dinner in silence.

"It's getting late," my father observes. "Go to bed, Amelia. You don't want to be tired or grouchy during the sleepover at Melinda's, now do you?" I shake my head no, and walk to my bedroom, which is on the other side of the house. I walk down the hall and into my bedroom. I pull out a silk nightgown and walk into the bathroom to change. I leave my day clothes in the bathroom and just crawl into bed, not wanting tomorrow's activities to come. I close my eyes tight, hoping that when I open them, everything I heard about the new addition to the Hunger Games was all just a dream. Somehow I fall asleep, and the next thing I know, my mom is shaking me awake.

"Come on, sweetie," she coos. "Reaping day is today. All must go." I groan in disgust, but I don't argue. She's right. Unless you' re at death's door, you're required to attend. The Peacekeepers come by to see if that's the case. If not, you're imprisoned. I kick the blanket off of me and slip my feet into the slippers that my mom bought me when we lived in District 5. I walk out of the room, down the hall, and sit at the table.

"What's for breakfast?" I ask.

"Eggs and toast," Dad replies simply. I nod and wait for him to finish cooking the food. Usually, Mom would cook it, because Dad waould be working in the coal mines. But since it's reaping day, the coal mines are closed, so Dad decided to cook today. Within a few minutes, the meal is done baking, and a plate is set right in front of me. I pick up the fork and begin eating it. As soon as I'm finished eating, Mom tells me to go take a bath. I walk into the room to find she's already filled the tub with warm water. I take off my nightgown and step into the water. I don't like the water very much, because I can't see anything at all when I'm in it.

After I'm done scrubbing myself down, I wrap myself a towel and to the bedroom. I walk to the closet, but a hold on my arm stops me.

"Look on your bed," she tells me. I turn in that direction and feel along the bed comforter to look for what she was talking about. Then I feel it: a silk dress. I put on my undergarments, then put it on. It's a thin-strapped dress, by the feel of it, and it barely reaches my knees in length. My feet kick something flass, and I pick them up to find they're flat glass slippers.

"Am I supposed to be looking gorgeous?" I ask.

"Well, you have to look good for the cameras," Mom says indifferently. I glare at her, but turn from her, kneel down, and slip my shoes on. Mom pulls on my hair, and I let out a cry of pain, mentally being angry at her. "Sorry. I just wanted to do something with your beautiful red hair." I sigh and wait for her to finish braiding it.

"Sissy look pretty!" Thomas exclaims. I turn to him, a big smile crossing my face. I pick him up and hug him tightly. "Sissy squeezing too hard!" He cries, and I immediately loosen my grip and hold him at an arms length away.

"Sorry!" I say, then turn to Mom. "What time is it?"

"Noon," she answers. "We better go see how your father's doing." She walks out of the room, and I follow, carrying Thomas. If there's one good thing about this house, it's that there's two separate rooms, one for my parents, and one for me and, most recently, Thomas. We walk down the short hall and turn into the parents' room. Dad is struggling to tie a tie, but my mom goes up to him and does it within ten seconds. "Are we ready to go?" She loudly whispers. I can feel my father's gaze burning on me, but it quickly vanishes, and nods his head. Mom walks toward the door, but stops at me and takes Thomas. Dad walks in front of her and leads the way out of the house. It's about a thirty minute walk to the square, where the reapings and showings of the Games are shown. By the time we get there, the backs of my feet are bleeding. Apparently, the glass slippers didn't fit perfectly. With every step, the shoes slid off, then came back on when I set my foot down. Before I get in line, I take off my shoes and use a piece of cloth to wipe the blood off my ankles and shoes.

The twelve-year-olds are in the back of the square, while the eighteen-year-olds are in the front. It never made since to me why it was arranged like that, since it would be harder for the younger ones to see, especially when taller people are in front of them. I stand next to Melinda.

"Hey!" She exclaims. A little bit quieter, she asks, "What did your parents say?"

"They said yes," I reply. "I just hope I'm able to go back home after this...event." She nods understandingly, but says nothing more as Poppy Fern has begun speaking. Although she's not the mayor of this town, she gets to speak first and wish everyone good luck before Mayor Dustwick speaks. I don't know why really, but I don't care.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She chides in her Capitol accident. I wince, remembering those were the same words Effie Trinket said when Katniss went into the Games. No one knows what happened to her. There's a lot of unknown things in this world, though.

Mayor Dustwick reads the treaties indifferently, and a video plays talking about how there have been two rebellions against the Capitol, and the Capitol has been victorious in both of them. I sigh when I hear Katniss's and Peeta's names. They should have lived. The Capitol's victory was unfair! I don't know how the Capitol defeated them, but I still think it's unfair either way. I'm so lost in thought that I don't even hear the rest of what Mayor Dustwick said. I'm brought back to the present when I hear Poppy Fern say ,"Ladies first!" She walks over to the bowl that holds the slips with our names on it, her heels clanking on the wood platform. She walks back to the podium, and I hear her unravel the slip.

"Amelia Fredrick!" She chimes. I take a gulp, knowing this moment was inevitable. I feel a hand grab ahold of mine, and I notice it's Melinda. I can tell through the vibrations that she's very sympathetic, but I know she won't volunteer. I don't want her to. I have a better chance at winning then she does. I walk up to the stage, everyone forming an open walkway for me. As soon as I'm standing next to Poppy, she goes over to the boys' bowl. But I already know who's going to be picked. Sure enough, Troy's name is read. He begins to walk up to the stage - I can tell because I hear shuffling feet as they move out of the way for him. I hear him crooss the stage and stand on the other side of Poppy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your tributes from District 12!" She cheers, but no one claps. There's really no surprise there. Like for tributes before Katniss and Peeta, the word "tribute" here in Twelve is synonymous to the word "corpse". It doesn' t even matter where you came from, either, like how Troy came from District 1 - one of the Career districts. Poppy motions for Troy and me to shake hands, and I do. He grabs my hand and tightens his grip slightly. I look up at him, even though I can't see, and notic ethrough the vibrations that he's smiling at me! Why is he smiling? I shrug it off. Maybe it was one of those evil smiles, saying that he was going to kill me. I honestly never thought of Troy as a harmful one. Maybe I would have if I was around him more often. After all, he was the current champion in wrestling, and the quarterback for football. Unlike my family, who live in the Seam, he's a town person. I don't know what his family does for a living. I never asked him.

My thoughts are disturbed when I feel Poppy pushing me. I hadn't realized that Troy had already let go of my hand and it was time to go inside the Justice Building. Every tribute gets one hour to speak to family and friends before the tribute is sent off to their possible deaths. Troy's room comes first, then mine. As soon as the door closes, I walk over to the couch and sit down. Velvet. It's made of velvet. I lie down on it and enjoy the texture. My gleefulness is interrupted when the door opens, and a Peacekeeper says that the visitors have ten minutes. It's my family, of course. Mom is still holding Thomas, and Dad has his arm around her. By the little whimpers, I can tell she was crying. I walk up to her and give her a big hug. She bends down and hugs me with her free arm. I can feel my hair being pulled by something, and I notice that Thomas is doing it.

"Why sissy have to go?" He wails. "Sissy come back, right?"

"Yes. Sissy come back," I tell him, trying to smile. I know I won't win, but I have to at least try. I give him a tight squeeze, and he cries, "Slissy squeeing too hard!" I let go, tears welling up in my eyes. I look in the direction of Dad.

"Good luck, sweetheart. I know you can't see like normal people, but you can see things through vibrations. Learn to use them as an advantage. And try to remember everything you're taught. It will help a lot," he tells me. I nod, and tears begin streaming down my face as I hug him. I know I shouldn't be crying. It won't be good for the pictures. But I can't help myself. Leaving my family is just too painful.

"What will happen if I...if I..." I can't seem to get the word out, but my parents understand what I'm trying to say. "Who will take care of Thomas while Mom works?"

"We can hire a sitter, and we'll pay her however much she or he thinks is reasonable," Dad answers. I only nod. Then I turn to Mom. "If I die out there, promise me you will still take care of Thomas."

"I promise," she whispers. I can tell the whisper was because her throat is dry from her crying.

"Don't let him sign up for tesserae when he's old enough. It's not worth it," I tell her. She nods understandingly. I give her a hug and say, "I love you." She gives me a tight hug back, and whispers, "Whatever you do, don't cause a rebellion." I nod understandingly. She doesn't want another Katniss to come around. Not right away. I let go of her right as the door to my room opens again. "I love you all!" I say as they walk out.

"We love you, too!" They call back. "Good luck!" Then the door closes. It's about five minutes before my next visitor comes in. It's Melinda, of course. She rolls up to me, and I lean down to hug her. I feel tears drip onto my shoulders, and she's shaking badly.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I had the best party planned for both of us making it through another reaping. I've never had a friend like you."

"You were my best friend, Melinda. I'm just glad it wasn't you," I whisper back.

"Why is that?" She asks.

"Because, if you were sent in, you wouldn't last very long. I at least have a bit of a better chance," I explain.

"True. I just wish someone else could have gone in. Actually, I wish no one had to go in. It's so sad, watching people fight to the death." She murmurs. I only slightly nod. We break from our embrace.

"Take care of Thomas for me, please," I beg.

"Always," she replies. "Is...is your mother getting a job soon? If so, Chrissy can watch him." Christina Patterson, Chrissy for short, was Melinda's seventeen-year-old sister. She had school, but she was ahead of other kids her age, so she only had three classes to do every day.

"Let her know that," I tell her. "I know I had volunteered for babysitting, but Mom needs to get a job soon, not in three months, if I do come back..."

"Oh, Amelia! You're not giving up, are you?" Melinda asks, shocked. "You will come back, won't you?"

"No. I mean yes!" I stutter. "No,I'm not giving up. Not yet. But I will try to come back. For you, Melinda. And for my family as well. I just hope I'm not the one to kill Troy." My voice falters, and I turn my head away.

"Amelia, you're a strong girl. I know you are. You've proven it time and time again. You will win. I have complete faith in you. I understand how you feel, not wanting to kill Troy. I saw you walking with him that day. He didn't seem like your type at first, but I heard you two talking, and as you got to know each other more, I thought, 'Maybe he is the one'." Melinda sighs, realizing that I'm not understanding her point. "My point is, I know how you feel, being thrown into the Games with someone you know. I've obviously never personally experienced it, but we saw it when Peeta and Katniss were in the Games. They made it through two Games together. Two, Amelia. That has never happened before. You have to understand that."

"I do," I tell her. "But love never does you any good. We saw that with Katniss and Peeta. They were both executed, along with many others, when they failed in the rebellion."

"True. But friendships can take you farther than you can imagine," Melinda points out. "Don't kill him just because you don't want love, Amelia. It won't do you any good." Then the door opens, and it's time for her to go. We hug each other one last time, and then she wheels out of the room.

The last thirty minutes draw on, as if time had been frozen in place. Then the Peacekeepers open the door and tell me it's time to go. I let my fingers glide across the velvet exterior of the couch as I walk out. They have already grabbed Troy. I can tell he's heartbroken. No surprise there, really. It's always heartbreaking to be separated from friends and family. We walk outside of the Justice Building and into a car. The ride to the train station is only five minutes long, in which time Poppy talks about how great the Capitol is, and how much we'll love the food. I don't pay much attention to her. I'm lost in my thoughts about my conversation with Melinda. 'Don't kill him just because you don't want love', her last words ring in my ears. The only thing that breaks me out of my thoughts is Poppy pushing on my arm to get out of the car. I've only been to this train station once before: the day my family arrived in the district. But today it's different. The place is filled with many people taking pictures of us, and the reporters asking us questions. Poppy keeps nudging me forward. Every time she does, I wanted to yell at her, saying I could handle it, but I never do. The cameras click over and over again, and many voices shout questions to us. I answer a few of them. The few that I could make out. We reach the area where the train's doors will be and wait for the train to come. I hear a whistling noise in the distance and realize our ride is close. The train stops a mere two feet in front of us, then a smoky sound comes through, and the doors open. I am the first to walk in, followed closely by Troy and Poppy. The doors close and the train starts driving away. I run to the windows and wave one last time. But it's not for the cameras or reporters. It's for my family and Melinda.

**A/N: Alright. Here's the second chapter. This is more of a filler chapter because we all knew Amelia and Troy would be going in. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Now, I have a question for all my readers: Would you like it or hate it if I sort of did some things related to the original Hunger Games (Peeta liking Katniss since he first saw her, Katniss not knowing until right before they go into the Games, etc., but this obviously being with Amelia and Troy?) Let me know! :) I have most of the actual Games for this story planned out already. But I would like to know if you guys (and girls) would like it or not. Don't forget to R&R! See you soon with the next chapter!**


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